Get the Lowdown on South Congress, Austin Grocery Stores!

While going out for every meal might be fun at first, it does get old — and expensive — after a while. Pretty soon, your heart and your wallet are crying out for a quality home-cooked meal. That's where South Congress, Austin grocery stores come in. Whether you're looking for basic pantry items and fresh foods or something more exotic, the selection of stores throughout the neighborhood will help you find whatever you need to make your meal.

Supermarkets

Residents of South Congress can visit the H-E-B for all their typical grocery meals. A local supermarket chain, H-E-B has pretty much everything you'd expect from a standard grocery store. Along with picking up food for yourself and your family for the week, you can also rent a carpet cleaner from customer service, pick up your prescriptions at the pharmacy, and get a flower arrangement from the in-store florist. H-E-B has plenty of fresh food options, including a bakery, cheese counter and produce section.

Gourmet Markets

Farm to Market is a combination of specialty, gourmet grocery store and deli. You can pick up a freshly prepared sandwich to go there or pick from a selection of locally grown produce, specialty cheeses and wines and beers. The store might be small, but the owner manage to pack a wide range of products into it. When it comes to South Congress, Austin grocery stores, this one is a local favorite.

Royal Blue Grocery is a chain of specialty shops with a location in South Congress. It describes itself alternatively as an "urban market" and as a "bodega." You can drop in and order a sandwich from its deli or a coffee to go. The shop also sells a selection of groceries as well as wines and craft beers.

International Markets

American supermarkets are starting to sell a variety of food products commonly used in international cuisines, but if you want the best prices and the best selection, visit a store that focuses on selling products for that particular cuisine.

Near South Congress, you have a few options when it comes to international grocers. Gandhi Bazar is an Indian supermarket. You'll find everything you need there to prepare a delicious Indian recipe, from 10 pound bags of basmati rice to multiple selections of dal. It also sells spices commonly used in Indian cooking as well as Indian plants and a variety of snacks and sweets.

If you want to prepare a Korean dish, a stop at Han Yang in nearby Brentwood is a must. The store stocks ingredients commonly used in Korean cuisine, as well as prepared items, including kimchi.

Co-ops

Grocery co-ops usually focus on selling natural and organic foods and Wheatsville Food Co-op is no different. What sets it apart is that it's the only co-op in Texas. You don't have to join the co-op to shop there, but joining does two things. It gives you part ownership of the store (which now has two locations) and a discount when you shop. The co-op not only sells grocery items, it also has a deli and a selection of hot, prepared foods.